How Can Civil Servants Repeatedly Make Good Decisions?
““Whether they are recognized as fair IRS officers, decisive IAS officers, or compassionate IPS officers, their identity is built based on the decisions they make throughout their careers.””
During my daughter’s graduation ceremony, the graduates received a keynote address from Bryan Stevenson, an African-American social activist and lawyer.
He emphasized that the letters behind one's name would remain a lifelong association, shaping their identity through professional work. For instance, a kind and hardworking teacher would be acknowledged as a compassionate and dedicated teacher. Therefore, in addition to the three letters representing their degree, their identity would be closely intertwined with it.
Stevenson's idea also holds true for civil servants. Upon entering the civil services, the acronym denoting their service becomes linked to their name. However, it is their work that truly defines their identity. Whether they are recognized as fair IRS officers, decisive IAS officers, or compassionate IPS officers, their identity is built based on the decisions they make throughout their careers.
So what is the decision-making process within the civil service?
In the civil service, decision-making heavily relies on experiences, particularly direct interaction with real-life situations. Inspired by professionals in engineering, architecture, management, psychotherapy, and planning, MIT Professor Donald Schon developed a decision-making model that best describes how civil servants make decisions.
Civil servants accumulate a reservoir of experiences from real-life situations, encompassing both the practical and emotional aspects. When faced with a new problem, they draw upon their repertoire of similar cases, utilizing their understanding from previous scenarios to guide their actions.
These mental maps assist them in planning, implementing, and evaluating their decisions. Through repeated practice of successful decision-making in various situations, civil servants gain a reputation for being decisive. With time, they develop the ability to think quickly on their feet, which significantly contributes to their success.
However, this does not imply that civil servants are bound by their past decisions. If an earlier experience resulted in disappointment, they review it and make different decisions to achieve more favorable outcomes. This process occurs after taking action, allowing for on-the-job learning, and the detection and correction of errors.
Civil servants organize these experiences using mental models to effectively utilize them in their minds. A mental model serves as a representation of how the world operates.
Given that we cannot store all the world's experiences in our brains, we employ models to simplify complexity into understandable and manageable pieces. The quality of our decision-making is directly proportional to the models we have in our minds and their relevance to the situation at hand. According to Charlie Munger, Warren Buffet's close aide, having a variety of mental models is crucial for improving speed and decision-making abilities.
Generally, individuals possess a limited number of mental models. For example, when a botanist observes a forest, they may focus on the ecosystem, while an environmentalist sees the impact of climate change. A forest engineer may assess the state of tree growth, and a businessperson may evaluate the land’s value. None of these perspectives are inherently wrong, but they also do not encompass the entirety of the forest. Approaching a problem from a single angle creates blind spots, which can hinder good decision-making.
Most importantly, building a diverse set of mental models from multiple disciplines is a lifelong endeavor for civil servants. The greater the number of models they possess, the larger their toolbox, and the more likely they will have the appropriate models to comprehend reality. Civil servants must continuously expand their collection of mental models, updating them as necessary. Through this process, they will find that their ability to understand reality and consistently make good decisions improves with each passing day.
In conclusion, passing the UPSC examination grants you the privilege of adding the three letters representing your achievement. However, the true journey of developing your identity begins afterward. It is essential to choose the identity you wish to cultivate and embody. Throughout your career, you will be known and acknowledged for this identity, positively impacting numerous lives while navigating the challenges of your service with unwavering enthusiasm.
